3 exercises against diastasis recti after pregnancy

The abdominal muscles are particularly affected by pregnancy. Due to the growth of the child and the uterus, the abdominal wall must expand significantly during pregnancy.

In order to make enough space, the straight abdominal muscles are pushed to the side. If the distance between the abdominal muscles is more than 2.5 centimeters, it is called diastasis recti.

Self-check: Do I have diastasis recti?

With the help of a diastasis check, you can test yourself whether you have diastasis recti and how severe it is. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your head and shoulders raised:

As a result, the straight abdominal muscles are tensed and can be felt well:

When you have diastasis recti, the abdominal muscles diverge above and below the navel, so you can feel a gap there. In women who do not have diastasis recti and in whom the abdominal muscles have not pushed apart, the abdominal muscles can be felt in the same place.

Diastasis – what now?

The time for diastasis recti to recover after childbirth depends on its severity. In most cases, it corrects itself within 6 weeks to 3 months after pregnancy.

It is important to avoid heavy physical exertion, especially lifting heavy loads, in the first few weeks after the birth. If you have diastasis, you should only get up from the side from the supine position if possible. So always turn onto your side first, support yourself and only then stand up.

Speed ​​up recovery with exercise

With the right exercises, you can speed up your recovery. It is important to start with exercises that strengthen the transverse abdominal muscle (transversus) and the pelvic floor. This stabilizes the trunk and closes the diastasis.

Suitable exercises are holding exercises, i.e. tensing the muscles without moving, where you hold the tension for a certain time.

A simple and effective way to train your transversus is to pull your belly button in and hold the tension during any static exercise (keep breathing!). Tension your transversus actively in everyday life as well. It’s easy and goes anywhere.

My top 3 exercises

You should definitely not do straight and diagonal sit-ups until the diastasis has resolved. Because lifting the upper body leads to a high abdominal pressure build-up, which puts additional strain on the already weakened pelvic floor. This can further aggravate an existing diastasis recti and delay recovery.

Here are a few postpartum exercises you can do at home when you are feeling fit again:

1. Bending and straightening the legs

This exercise strengthens your pelvis and abs as a whole:

• Lie on your back with your legs stretched out and place your arms alongside your body.
• Draw your right leg towards your chest…

• … and then straighten the leg again. Your back stays flat on the ground:

• Repeat this exercise 6 to 8 times with each leg.

2. Make a bridge

This exercise strengthens the stability of the upper body and pelvic muscles:

• Lie on your back with your feet on the floor. Leave some space between your back and your feet. Place your arms next to your body:

• Draw in your belly button and tighten your abdominal muscles. Your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees by lifting your pelvis. Hold this position for 5 seconds:

• Repeat this exercise 6 times.

3. Advanced ankle grip exercise

If you are a little fitter again and the diastasis is almost closed again, you can also do the ankle grip exercise at home. With this exercise you train your deep muscles and obliques (great exercise for a slim waist!):

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and keep your arms alongside your body.
• Raise your torso slightly, starting at the shoulders, and grab your right ankle with your right hand. Then grab your left ankle with your left hand. Repeat this 5 times, alternating sides.

• Repeat the exercise 3 times.